


MERweek 2019

by WickedWitchoftheWilds



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Almost Sex, Emma is tired of being interrupted, Emma's Past, F/M, Gun Violence, Implied Death, Love Story, MERweek2019, Making Out, Military, Modern AU, One-Shots, Romance, Sadness, Scientist Emma, Shape of Water AU, prompts, secret, side character death, stories, tentative friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-02 08:27:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19437685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WickedWitchoftheWilds/pseuds/WickedWitchoftheWilds
Summary: Prompts and One-shots for this year's MERweek!





	1. Day One: Tall Tales

Ahvfi sat down on the bench to soak up the warm Havarl sun. Her daughter sat beside her to keep her company. The sweet scent of ripe paripo filled the air. A cool breeze rustled the leaves on the surrounding trees. It was a beautiful day. Unfortunately, it was probably her last. Ahvfi wasn’t saddened by this. She had lived for a long time. It wasn’t a bad life by any means. She had grown from a curious young child, enamored by the questions around her, to a researcher. Her time had been spent traveling the cluster to learn and interact with those that were so different from her own people. By now the Milky Way colonists had assimilated well into the cluster. They had their worlds and their space stations, and they lived together with the Angara. It wasn’t always peaceful, but there were always those who wanted to make it work. So it did.

A gentle hand on her knee drew her gaze down. Her grandchild, Meeri, was trying to climb onto her lap. Sometimes when she looked at Meeri, she saw herself. A curious little thing. She was scolded often for wandering off. Ahvfi always laughed. She reached down to help Meeri up. This reminded her of another time. Except it was her, trying so hard in vain to reach someone new and exciting. Ahvfi would be a liar if she said she didn’t think of that person often. Even more so now that she was nearing the end. It had been so long since she had last seen them.

Meeri nudged her. “Story?” Her large, unblinking eyes gazed at Ahvfi.

“Grandmother Ahvfi is tired,” her daughter answered before she could.

Ahvfi swatted gently at her daughters’ hand. “I am never too tired to tell my beautiful Meeri a story.”

Her daughter heaved a heartfelt sigh but sat back. The other grandchildren ambled over to gather around Ahvfi’s feet. This was going to be her last story. It should be a good one. It was time to tell them of her favorite aunt. The alien that traveled 600 years to fall in love with Ahvfi’s uncle. A woman that suffered many things, but always managed to come away stronger each time. She was going to tell them about Emma.

There was no better start than the first time she met Emma. How enraptured she had been with Emma’s bright hair and piercing, but kind, eyes. She had instantly taken to Emma and Emma to her. Ahvfi spoke about how Emma had talked down the leader of Roekkar. And later even befriended him. How the Pathfinder pulled together all of the allies in the cluster to defeat the Archon and the role Emma played in destroying him. Her grandchildren watched her with rapt attention as she told them of everything that came after. The good, the bad, and the awe-inspiring.

But her favorite part was the love Emma and Jaal shared. Where one went, the other always followed. Even when parted they were intertwined. Bonded on a deeper level than even Angara experienced, their love would survive well beyond her death. Now her grandchildren would know. And they would tell their grandchildren.

It was a long story to tell, but it was worth it to see the wonder in her grandchildren’s eyes. Ahvfi didn’t stop telling it until the sun began to dip into the sky. Had the day gone by so fast? How did everything manage to go by so quickly, when there was so little time left? Ahvfi was so tired now. She sat back on the bench.

Her daughter noticed and ushered the children away. It was time for supper already. Ahvfi waved her daughter away with the children. She wanted to spend some more time outside. It really was such a beautiful day. When she was alone outside, she tilted her face back to feel the breeze on her face.

It was with her eyes closed that she felt it. A familiar presence. A signature that she recognized so well. She felt them long before she could hear them walking towards her. Gentle pressure on either side of her indicated that they had sat down.

“Did you hear?” Ahvfi asked, a smile gracing her face.

“Yes,” Jaal answered.

“What did you think?”

“A bit exaggerated, but beautiful nonetheless.” Emma chuckled. “It was a great story Ahvfi.”

Ahvfi opened her eyes when Emma said her name. Emma was just as beautiful as she remembered. Her hair was long and pulled into a long braid that reached her waist. Bright eyes stared deep into hers. Emma’s eyes always reminded Ahvfi of a hot star, it burned bright enough to light a solar system, it could foster life or strip it away. That was Emma. She was capable of many things, some great, some terrible. Jaal kept her grounded.

Ahvfi turned to look at Jaal. He hadn’t aged a day since she had last seen him. She supposed it was the benefit of being bonded to a being such as Emma. But he had the same amount of love and adoration in his eyes now as he did then. She was so happy they came. In truth, she had been waiting for them. A part of her had known that they would be here when she needed them.

Emma took one of her hands and Jaal took the other. They leaned into her. It must be that time already. Ahvfi was ready. She knew it wasn’t permanent. She would be back, new and old all in the same body. Ahvfi just hoped they would be there. Maybe they would take her with them in her next life. She wanted to see everything.

“We are here Ahvfi,” Jaal murmured to her.

“And we’ll see you again,” Emma whispered, placing a small kiss on Ahvfi’s brow.

Yes. Yes, they would.

Ahvfi kept her eyes open and tilted her head up so she could see the stars. Next time she would touch them.


	2. Day Two: Night on the Town

Emma checked the time on her omnitool for the third time in an hour. The loud music throbbed around her. There were a lot of people crowding the dance floor. Peebee and Liam were a part of that crowd, tearing it up. Emma had declined to join them. She was waiting on Jaal—who was an hour late. They were all supposed to meet up and have a fun time. But he was the only one that hadn’t showed. Emma wasn’t worried. In fact, she had a fairly good idea about where he was. Knowing him, it was the same place she had left him in hours ago—the cultural center. Five more minutes and she was going to go find him.

Honestly, she had hoped that he would show up and hang out for a while and then sneak back to the Tempest while everyone was still in the club. They had barely been alone since defeating the Archon. Someone was always interrupting them. It was starting to get on her nerves. She loved the crew, but every last one of them had the worst timing. At this point, it felt like a conspiracy. She wouldn’t put it past any of them.

Emma drained the last bit of drink still left in her cup. This time she managed to get away without drinking any tavum. Rum would give her a nice buzz without knocking her on her ass. Five minutes were up, and she was going to go looking for her boyfriend. There were some protests as she got up, but she just told them she was looking for Jaal. And then she told them that no, she didn’t any help finding him.

The doors shut behind her and the music was muffled behind it. She didn’t mind. It was feeling a little claustrophobic in there. Guess this was the Nexus’ weekend. Not that there really was such a thing yet. There was still too much to do. Regardless, the Nexus was relatively quiet as she walked over to the cultural center.

She was surprised to find the center largely empty. There was only one person. And it was exactly the person she was looking for.

Jaal was sitting in an alcove near the Asari VI. With as much time as he spent learning about the Asari, he should be close to done by now. He didn’t even look up as she walked over. But the small smile on his face told her that he knew she was there.

“You are early darling one,” he said while she rested her hip on the desk he was using.

Emma didn’t say anything, she just rose her eyebrow. After a moment he looked up at her. It seemed to also be the moment that he realized he was the only one left in the cultural center.

“You are not early…” he trailed off.

She shook her head.

“I am late.”

She nodded.

Jaal sighed. “I am sorry. I was caught up in reading. I lost track of time.”

Emma slid from the desk and into his lap. The chair creaked slightly under their weight, but it held up. Her arms snaked around his neck and she placed a small kiss to his cheek.

“You don’t have to apologize.” She teasingly kissed the tip of his nose. “You are a complete and total nerd.” She kissed the corner of his mouth. “And I love you for it.” Jaal met her halfway for the last kiss.

It was only supposed to be a small kiss. Something to punctuate her point. But they were alone, and Emma didn’t complain when his hand cupped the back of her head to tilt it back. Nor did she complain when his tongue pressed against the seam of her mouth. They should stop now. After all, they were in a public place even though it was empty. The Tempest wasn’t far.

“I can make it up to you,” he murmured against her mouth.

Emma hummed in response. Saying anything would have dragged her mouth away from his. Besides, she had a fairly good idea of how he intended to make it up to her. The hand that wasn’t tangled in her hair, was pressing into her thigh. Emma was glad she had decided to wear the dress Peebee had lent her for the night. When she had tried it on it seemed a little short for her tastes. However, with Jaal’s fingers trailing up her bare thigh, she couldn’t be happier with her wardrobe choice. Every touch sent sparks across her skin.

Emma dragged her fingers down his cowl. She remembered her initial surprise when he told her that it was a sensitive area for Angara. But since it was one of the few places they could concentrate their bioelectricity, it made sense. So, when she concentrated her own bioelectricity into her fingertips to run her hands over them again, he gasped into her mouth. White hot, heat went straight to his core. A sensation that was mirrored in her. This was her favorite part about intimacy with Jaal. Everything was shared between them. It could also make things very intense. She wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Jaal’s fingers brushed against the hem of her dress before slipping underneath the fabric. He inched up the dress, revealing more of her to him. There was some difficulty since she was sitting on her lap. It didn’t stop Jaal from pressing his thumb into her inner thigh. Any rational thoughts left in her mind fled instantaneously. The spark on his fingertips that pressed into her skin traveled inward and her muscles clenched in anticipation. Forgetting they were sitting on a chair, she attempted to part her thighs for him, but she began to slide from his lap. Jaal’s hand abandoned her thigh to wrap around her waist and catch her. It was enough to make them pull apart. They stared at each other, wide-eyed and breathing heavily, before bursting into laughter.

“This is not very comfortable,” he declared.

“No, it isn’t.” She couldn’t stop laughing. “But I am committed to this idea.”

Jaal lifted her from his lap so he could stand and set her down on the edge of the desk. Her legs parted automatically so he could fit between them. Hooking his hands underneath her thighs, he pulled her flush against him.

“So am I,” he murmured, leaning down to graze his teeth against her neck. His hands moved upwards, not to resume pulling her dress up—much to her frustration, but to pull the straps away from her shoulders. His mouth moved down her neck and to her collarbone. Emma’s breath hitched. She just wanted to be as close to him as possible. One of her legs wrapped around his waist to pull him closer. She cradled him in between her thighs.

Jaal was trying to so hard to take his time and pay her proper attention. She just wasn’t sure if she had the patience for it tonight. While he was working her dress off of her shoulders, she was trying to undo his armor. Not all of it. Just enough.

“Hey Emma, did you find—”

Liam’s voice made her slump forward. Her forehead was pressed against Jaal’s shoulder. “You can’t be serious!” she shouted into his armor to muffle herself.

For all his usual teasing, Liam seemed genuinely mortified that he had caught them. He tried to stammer something out.

Emma held up her hand to stop him. “Jaal and I are going back to the ship for the night.” She slid off the desk and straightened her clothing. “Have fun at the club.”

She didn’t want for Liam to say anything. Even if she and Jaal did nothing else, she just wanted to spend some alone time with him. And dammit she was going to. Emma slid her hand in Jaal’s and urged him towards the docking bay. They were going back to the tech lab and locking the door. Either Emma was getting in her pajamas and snacking while watching vids with Jaal, or they were going to have incredible sex, and nobody was going to interrupt any of those things.


	3. Day Three: A Friend in Need

Akksul hadn’t stepped foot off of the shuttle yet. This was a terrible idea. He didn’t know why he thought he was ready to interact with more aliens. Yes, The Moshae had asked, and he felt terrible for things that happened before. But that didn’t mean he had to say yes. He had wanted to see her. She deserved a personal apology. However, that meant he had to travel to the Nexus to deliver it. Perhaps she could’ve gone to him. He had a feeling this was a ploy to bring him around more aliens as it were. None of these thoughts made him feel better. So, he sat on the shuttle by himself. Even the pilot had left to mingle with the aliens.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed. Every time he felt like he could step off of the ship, he would run down the list of why the aliens weren’t trustworthy. There was also the matter of him being former Roekkar. They might know him. And they might not be so welcoming of his presence. He slumped down in his seat. This was hopeless. He just wasn’t ready.

Akksul stiffened when he heard voices approach the shuttle. Only one of those voices sounded Angaran.

“Are you sure he’s in here?” a female voice, human, asked.

“The Moshae said he had not made it to her office yet and to check in here.”

Akksul groaned inwardly as soon as he recognized the voices. Emma and Jaal. He should be surprised the Moshae would send them, but somehow, he wasn’t. Emma had a habit of getting close to nearly every Angara she met. Sure, she was alien, but when they could feel her it felt easier to trust her. Akksul sometimes felt the same. It was hard to question her motives when they were always laid bare to the Angara.

Bright blue hair entered the shuttle first. She turned her head to the side and saw him, just sitting there. Akksul tried hard not to make eye contact. But Emma was always captivating. It was harder to look away.

She didn’t move further into the ship. He was grateful for that. Sometimes being near her was a little much. Yet this time her bioelectricity didn’t feel all over the place. Maybe she had learned to better control it. Jaal should have taught her that much.

“Hey,” she said, leaning against the shuttle doors.

“Hello,” he grumbled.

“Did you take too big of a step?” she asked.

“What?”

“Coming to the Nexus, was it too big of a step?” she clarified.

He nodded.

She pointed to the seat across from him. “May I?”

Akksul shrugged.

Emma walked onto the shuttle and sat down. It was surprising that Jaal did not follow her. Akksul could still feel his presence right outside the doors. Just in case he was needed. He had been disgusted when he first felt them resonate together. It was also shocking. At first, he thought it had to have been a farce. That somehow she was faking it to get close to a trusted member of the resistance. There was no way he could believe that one of his people would be in a relationship with an alien. But when she stood in front of Jaal, and told Akksul to shoot her instead, he knew it wasn’t fake. He felt her conviction to protect someone she…loved.

Their relationship was unprecedented, but it was real. It made him question himself and the values he had spread to others. Was he wrong? Emma had told him to never trust groups, but to learn to trust individuals. Could he trust an alien with that logic?

Emma didn’t speak to him. She just sat there with one leg tucked under the other. It made him slightly uncomfortable.

“Why are you here?” he blurted out the question.

“The Moshae was worried when you didn’t show up. Jaal and I happened to be close by, so she asked us to look for you.” She shrugged.

“Well now you know. You don’t have to stay.” His answer was gruff.

“Do you really want to stay on this shuttle by yourself?”

No, he didn’t. He really just wanted to leave. It was too soon to venture to a place full of aliens. He felt defenseless and vulnerable. Two things he had never wanted to feel again.

“Regardless, you do not have to stay,” he reiterated.

“The Moshae is on her way. I’m just sitting with you until then.” She smirked at the confused look on his face, but it wasn’t malicious. “I asked Jaal to let her know where you were. She wants to see you.”

“I…thank you.”

Emma leaned back on the seat. “No big deal.”

They fell back into silence, but Akksul was no longer uncomfortable. He came here to see the Moshae. And he was going to just that. They were just meeting halfway. It would have to be enough for now. Akksul’s eyes flicked over Emma’s relaxed posture. He didn’t know if he would ever be able to trust or befriend these aliens. But with Emma Ryder, he just might try.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be skipping Prompt 4 because I didn't have an idea for it and Stranger Things premieres tomorrow so I won't be writing tomorrow either.


	4. Day Five: Extreme Emotion

The first time Scott noticed it, they were at the playground. Dad had brought Emma home two months prior. Those two months were strange, to say the least. The first night she arrived, she cried when mom welcomed her home. After that, she barely showed any emotion. It’s not that they seemed foreign to her, it’s that she looked like she was afraid to show any. There were a few moments where she would stare at something in wonder. But it never lasted long. Her expressions would close off again. Nobody else seemed bothered by it, but it weirded Scott out.

Mom cooked every night and Emma looked at it like she had never seen a home-cooked meal before. Maybe she hadn’t. Dad wouldn’t tell Scott where he had brought Emma from. Every time Scott asked, dad would just say that he saved her from a bad place and to treat her like family. Scott didn’t know how. The few times he tried to talk to her, she just stared at him like he had three heads. Sara told him to be patient. Emma was just scared. When Scott asked how she knew that Sara just shrugged and mumbled something about nightmares. It seemed everyone was warming up to Emma, except him.

Every day he and Sara went to school and Emma would just watch them leave from the breakfast table. And every day when they came home, Emma would be sitting on the couch staring at the TV, but not really watching it. For two months it was like that. Then it changed.

Mom and Emma were waiting outside the apartment door one day. Emma’s hair was pulled back in a neat braid. There was a nervous look on her face. Scott was just surprised to see emotion from her. She was wearing some of Sara’s clothes. Sara didn’t seem to mind. The twins were excited when they reached their mother and she informed them of their trip to the playground.

It had been a while since they had gone. Emma was quiet and stayed neared mom as they walked through the block. The playground wasn’t a traditional playground like one would find on Earth. It was modeled to look like one. There was fake grass and potted trees, but there was no dirt or crunchy leaves to step on. Scott didn’t complain. It was still fun to ride down the slides and swing on the swing set. As soon as it came into their sights, Sara and Scott dropped their backpacks and ran to the jungle gym.

It wasn’t crowded just yet. More kids would come in the next hour or two. Scott liked when it wasn’t crowded. He didn’t have to share or deal with bullies. Emma hadn’t made a move to join them. She was still glued to mom’s side. Mom was on her knees beside Emma talking to her. They were too far away for Scott to figure out what she was saying. After a few minutes, Emma slowly walked over to the swing set. She stared at it like she didn’t understand it before she turned and gently sat down. Her fingers wrapped around the chains. Scott noticed her grip was tight, her knuckles turned white.

He walked over to her. “I can push you,” he said, trying to elicit any sort of response out of her.

Her orange-blue eyes turned to him. They were cool and creepy at the same time. Her eyes sort of reminded him of the pilot light on their stove. It was even weirder that her hair matched. Maybe she was an alien. He had to admit, that would be kind of cool. It took her a moment to nod. He walked behind her. Her head turned to keep an eye on him. Slowly, Scott placed his hands on her back to push her. She jumped slightly and stiffened but didn’t say anything.

Scott started slow. He didn’t want to push her too fast or too high. She kept her white-knuckled grip on the chains. Scott pushed her higher and higher. He saw it then. A small glimmer of emotion. Her eyes closed, and a smile graced her lips. Maybe she felt like she was flying. It’s how he always felt on the swings. He was enamored by the small display of emotion. So much so, that he didn’t notice her grip on the chains loosening enough for her to lose her grip entirely. Emma pitched forward.

Mom was already running across the playground before Emma even hit the ground. Scott couldn’t do anything but watch as Emma threw her arms in front of her face to cushion the fall. Mulch scrapped her knees and calves. Blood welled up from the tiny lacerations on her legs and hands. Mom helped Emma stand up, so she could access the damage. That’s when Scott noticed it. Emma didn’t cry. He knew how much it could hurt, but she showed no signs of being in pain. She just stared impassively while mom cleaned the slowly disappearing cuts on her legs.

Sara ran over and stood next to Scott. She was seeing the same thing he was, but she didn’t even seem bothered that Emma no longer had any cuts. They were all gone. Was he really the only one surprised? Did they all know something he didn’t? This wasn’t normal. Was that why dad never spoke about where he found Emma. Was she some kind of weird mutant? There wasn’t any time to ask questions. The playground began filling up, so mom ushered them home.

In fact, it wasn’t until much later that evening that Scott had the opportunity to ask. Dad was talking to mom in hushed tones in the kitchen. Sara was finishing her homework at the kitchen table. And Emma was in the shower. Scott turned off the television and wandered into the kitchen. They didn’t even notice him at first.

“What is Emma?” he asked, interrupting their conversation.

Mom and dad shared a look before dad dropped the dishtowel he was holding to kneel in front of Scott. “What do you mean?”

“She healed fast. People don’t do that.”

Dad sighed. “No, but Emma does.”

“Why?” Scott wasn’t going to let this go.

“Emma is…different. She’s unique,” dad spoke haltingly like he wasn’t sure how to explain. “I brought her here to keep her safe and protected.”

“That doesn’t tell me anything,” Scott complained.

“I know—”

“If she’s some kind of freak then we should know.” Scott turned to Sara for back-up, but she just leveled a glare in his direction. Why was he the only one bothered by this?

“Scott!” dad admonished, looking angrier than Scott had seen before.

“It's true!” Scott argued.

Ellen dropped the glass she had been washing back into the water-filled sink. “Oh!”

Scott noticed his mother looking behind him and he turned, he shouldn’t have. Pink crept up from his neck to his cheeks. It was suddenly very hot. Emma was standing at the end of the hallway. Her eyes were trained on Scott. At first, there wasn’t any emotion. Maybe she hadn’t heard him. It was a short-lived wish. First, her nose turned red and then her cheeks flushed the same color. Scott thought it was anger. Her hands curled into fists. Would she hit him? It wasn’t until he saw the tears brimming in her eyes that he realized he was wrong. Then he felt like an asshole.

“I am NOT a freak,” she said, her voice shaking.

Scott didn’t have a chance to say anything. Emma turned and fled down the hallway to the room she shared with Sara. Should he go after her? What would he say? Mom was the first to go after her. If anyone could talk to her it would be mom. But dad stayed behind for a moment longer.

“I will talk to you later.” Dad’s voice was low, dangerous. It was the tone he used when he was furious. It made Scott feel small. “And you WILL make it right.” He stood up and followed mom down the hallway.

Scott was left in stunned silence. He hadn’t meant to hurt her feelings, but he had. It was the first time he had seen Emma cry since she had first arrived. Falling off a swing didn’t hurt enough for her to cry, but his words had done the trick. It wasn’t what he had intended.

“Nice going bird-brain,” Sara sneered from the table.

“How was I supposed to know she was right there?” Scott protested.

Sara rolled her eyes. “Typical. You’re upset that she heard you, not that you called her a freak.”

“I didn’t mean it in a bad way.”

“How can you call someone a freak in a good way?” she asked.

“Why are you defending her?” Scott demanded. “What is so special—”

“She cries every night.” Sara interrupted him. “You think she’s emotionless? She isn’t. She’s scared. You just don’t pay attention.”

“I didn’t know,” he mumbled.

“Did you ever think that dad was protecting us too by not telling us where he found her? Or that it would hurt her if it was brought up?”

Scott dropped his gaze to the floor. “No.”

“You don’t think Scott and that will hurt people.”

Scott was staring absently at the galaxy map. He wasn’t sure what had prompted him to think of that particular moment. It had been a long time since he thought of what Emma’s first few months with them were like. He had forgotten that he had opposed her presence at first. But that had been the turning point. Emma hadn’t accepted his apology at first. Of course, he couldn’t blame her. All he could do was prove to her that he wouldn’t do it again. And he didn’t. Scott never called her a freak again. He got into a lot of trouble punching the people that did. Dad grounded him every time, but there was no denying the glint of pride in his eyes. Scott took protecting Emma seriously. He wasn’t sure exactly when he started to consider Emma his sister, but he was grateful nonetheless.

He needed all the family he could get here. 


	5. Day Six: Secrets

The frantic whispers woke her up. Sara had been fast asleep in her old bunk. Normally, Emma was sleeping above her, but Emma hadn’t come home from Amaranthine yet. It was hard for the three siblings to schedule their leave at the same time. However, mom and dad had begged them stating there was something important to be shared. Sara was happy to be home. She had missed everyone. Mom was the only one home when she arrived. They had spent a quiet night with wine and dinner, and Sara telling mom about her time at a Prothean dig site. They had both gone to bed early.

But now Sara was awake and staring at the top bunk. Was it mom whispering? Sara threw off her blanket and swung her legs to the floor. She tried her best to be quiet just in case it wasn’t mom. Although, it would be pretty stupid for burglars to whisper that damn loud.

The hallway was dark, but she could see a light on in the kitchen. Sara squinted and saw a vague shape that looked like mom. The shape was sitting at the kitchen table. Quietly, Sara inched down the hallway. It was definitely mom. She was hunched over with her omnitool in front of her face. As Sara crept closer, she realized it was her father’s voice on the other end of the call. 

“It’s not good Ellen.” He sounded choked up, which was strange for him. “She only remembers me.”

Her mother’s sniffle made Sara stop short of entering the room. What were they talking about?

“I don’t know what to do. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

Sara had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. There was only one person they could be talking about. But what had happened? Why did Emma only remember him? Sara had to hold herself back from rushing into the room. Based on the late hour of the call and her mother’s whispers, she didn’t think she was supposed to know about this. It would explain the weird mood mom had been in all night. Sara had thought it was her disease flaring up and tried not to think anything of it.

“She hurt one of the doctors. The council might really take her this time.”

Ellen shook her head. “We won’t let that happen, Alec. We will fight them.”

“I thought she was safe Ellen. I thought they would leave her alone. But she will never be safe here.”

Sara’s heart dropped at the way her father’s voice cracked. She had never heard it do that before.

“We will find a way, Alec. She is our child, even if she doesn’t remember.” Her mother’s voice was firm, but Sara could see the way her shoulders were hunched inward.

Alec muttered his goodbyes and hung up. Sara stood in the darkness of the hallway, unsure of what to do. Should she come out and let mom know that she heard everything? Or should she pretend she didn’t? But she wanted to know what happened to Emma. They were sisters after all.

“You can come out Sara,” Ellen said.

Of course, she had known Sara was there. Sara was grateful. It meant she didn’t have to make a choice between prying or pretending like nothing was wrong. Sara entered the room and pulled a chair from the dining table to sit down at. Her mother was staring down at her omnitool.

“What happened?” Sara asked, hating the uncomfortable silence.

“Emma was…hurt.” Ellen sat back. “She was targeted—”

“By who?” Sara interrupted her.

“If you don’t interrupt me, I’ll tell you,” Ellen chastised, but there was no bite to it.

“Sorry,” Sara muttered.

“She was targeted by the people Alec rescued her from. I don’t think they meant to kill her but” –her mother’s voice trembled— “what they did made her lose most of her memories…her memories of us.”

Sara just gaped at her mother. It couldn’t be true. Maybe this was some weird elaborate prank. It was a horrible one. Sara knew it wasn’t true. They would never do this. But then that meant it was true. It meant the person she considered a sister wouldn’t know who she was. All the memories they made together just gone. Sara didn’t think she wanted to know the details of what happened. It wouldn’t change the outcome.

Sara didn’t notice she was crying until Ellen wiped the tears from her cheeks. Is this what it was like to lose someone. It was bad enough they were going to lose mom to her disease, but they had to lose Emma too? Sara choked back a sob. It wasn’t fair.

“Scott…” Sara trailed off.

Ellen shook her head. “He doesn’t know.” She hesitated. “And I don’t think we should tell him.”

“What? He should know.”

“I didn’t even want you to know Sara. Just in case there was a chance that it could be reversed, or she could regain her memories. I didn’t want this weekend to be ruined,” Ellen whispered the last part.

“What was so damn special about this weekend?” Sara asked, feeling her anger build in her chest. This was her sister they were talking about. Scott had the right to know.

“The council finally approved your father and I adopting Emma.”

Sara sat back in the chair. After years of her parents begging, the council finally relented. What was the fucking point of it now?

“Please, Sara. Don’t tell Scott. At least give your father and I some time,” Ellen begged.

She should say no. But how could she when her own mother was pleading with her. Sara nodded. “Fine. But if you don’t tell him soon. Then I will.”

She never did.


	6. Day Seven: Modern AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cut this one-shot short because I think I want to do a multi-chaptered fic of this AU. I'm not sure yet.

It was Emma’s dream. The confirmation of intelligent life. The evidence of extraterrestrials. It was all here in front of her. The find that would make the entire human race question everything. Except they would never know. No one would if the government had its way. And so far, they were.

When Emma was given the assignment to work at Area 51, she was ecstatic. Until she actually arrived. There was nothing there. Not yet. There were some samples pulled from the surface of the Moon and Mars, but nothing that signified life. Not even a speck of bacteria. It seemed like she had been so excited for nothing.

But then it happened.

She got the call at 3 AM. At first, she was pissed because had finally managed to fall asleep the hour before. However, once they told her the news she was wide awake. Emma wasn’t quite sure how she managed to get dressed so damn fast and get out the door. It was all a blur. Thirty minutes later she was pulling up the crash site in her car. In her excitement, she barely remembered to grab her work badge from her glove compartment.

From the crash site, they were able to transport the ship to the base. There was something inside. Scans proved that. Emma waited eagerly for the soldiers to crack it open. The engineers begged the soldiers to leave as much of the ship in one piece as they possibly could. But that’s not what Emma was concerned about. There was a specimen in there. Hopefully a live one. It was hard to tell with the wreckage.

She heled her breath when they finally sawed through the metal door. Now she just had to make sure they didn’t compromise the specimen. Her whole life had been leading to this moment. Emma leaned over the railing to get a closer look.

The door flew off the hinges. Whatever was inside had been waiting for them and it was pissed. Any soldiers nearby were gunned down by what looked like lasers. It meant they weren’t a primitive species. They had technology. They couldn’t hurt it. Emma fought against the soldier that tried to get her out of the room.

She saw the pink and purple-hued skin of its arm. There was a gun clenched in its hand. It was firing at anyone that came close. It had a thumb and an index finger, but the other three fingers were fused together. But that wasn’t its most striking feature. She could see its face, the protrusions around its head and the blue markings in between. Then she saw its eyes. Large and catlike. They were colors of the galaxies Emma had wanted to touch since she was a child. She was mesmerized. She couldn’t look away, not even when the alien turned its gun on her.

It was the wrong move. It left them open to the soldier’s fire. They howled in pain, and Emma felt sick. One of the soldiers leveled its gun at the alien’s head. They were going to kill it.

“No!” she shouted, pulling free from the soldier’s grasp to grip the railing. The alien was slumped over, holding its arm and gasping in pain. “I need them alive!” She couldn’t allow them to die. This was first contact. The first sign of life beyond their own definition.

They didn’t fire, but their guns didn’t waver. It was a tense moment of silence until a soldier entered with a tranquilizer gun. At least they were listening to her. Losing this alien would be a devastating blow to science. To her. The alien tried to slink back down into his ship, but he couldn’t escape the dart that penetrated his skin. Emma held her breath and counted the minutes until there was nothing but silence coming from the ship. It was only then that they were able to safely retrieve him from the ship and move him to her lab.

Her lab had always been equipped to deal with any intelligent life found. This was just the first time it was actually being used. The tempered glass separating the two was resilient. It would keep them contained and keep them both safe in their interactions. Emma was already itching to start tests, but she wanted to wait until they were awake. Sure, it would be easier while they were still out. It just didn’t feel right. So, Emma made a pot of coffee to keep her awake while she waited.

Coffee only went so far. After dozing at her desk for an hour, she woke to the sound of banging. They were awake and hitting the barrier with their fist. It wouldn’t break, but they would hurt themselves. Emma tried to get up so fast that the chair slipped out from under her and caught her in the ankle on its way. The sound of her hitting the floor startled them enough to stop. A curse flew past her lips while she rubbed the knee she had come down on. She looked up to see the alien staring at her curiously.

It took her another moment to get up. They kept staring at her. When she finally stood up to walk over, they drew themselves to their full height. It was impressive. They were roughly two feet taller than her and she was 5’ 4”. It would be hard to get an actual measurement. She doubted they would let her get close enough.

Emma stopped in front of the glass. There were blue smudges where they had been hitting it. Was their blood blue? Fascinating. Emma raised her eyes to meet theirs. There was a touch of anger, but also open curiosity in their gaze. Emma gently placed her hand on the glass. They flinched back.

“Do you have a name?” she asked, which was stupid because she doubted they spoke English. She sighed and pointed at herself. “Emma.” She pointed at them and waited.

They stared at her finger, before raising their own to their chest. “Jaal.”

She smiled. “It’s a start.” But how to communicate past that? Emma looked around the room trying to think of anything she could do. “It would be easier if you could understand me,” she muttered.

“I can.”

“I don’t even know…” she trailed off and looked back at Jaal. “Did you say something?”

“Yes,” they answered.

Emma gaped at them. “How?”

“Translator.”

They had been stripped before being brought the containment room. So that meant the translator had to be attached or implanted. Emma jogged back over to her desk to grab her tablet. She needed to make notes of everything. Without a language barrier to hinder her, there were so many things she could ask.

Emma sat cross-legged in front of the glass. “Let’s start then.”

**Author's Note:**

> All kudos, comments, and bookmarks are loved! 
> 
> You should totally come hang out with me on [Tumblr!](https://wickedwitchofthewilds.tumblr.com)
> 
> And you can follow me on Twitter @WildsWicked


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